Circular HVAC in the spotlight: REHVA workshop at ROOMVENT 2026
REHVA hosted Workshop 12, "Integrating circularity into design, installation and operation of HVAC systems," at ROOMVENT 2026, organized by the Society of Environmental Engineering (STP) in cooperation with the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) from September 15–18, 2026.
Moderated by Prof. Atze Boerstra (TU Delft) and Mikael Börjesson (Swegon), the session started from a clear premise: truly sustainable buildings need HVAC systems rethought beyond operational energy efficiency. Embodied carbon from HVAC materials is a significant share of lifecycle emissions, and components are replaced several times over a building's lifetime. Yet design and installation still largely follow a linear take-make-waste model.
Four perspectives framed the discussion. Jacopo Famiglietti (Politecnico di Milano) showed how EPBD IV, ESPR, CPR, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the F-Gas Regulation are converging into one regulatory infrastructure for HVAC, while noting that none of them explains how to actually design circular systems. Atze Boerstra outlined research gaps, the metal- and CRM-intensity of installations, and Dutch examples from remanufactured pumps to reused climate ceilings. Charlotte Nyholm (Granlund) addressed circular business models, and Mikael Börjesson presented Swegon's RE:3 approach, with reuse cutting embodied carbon by up to 95%.
An interactive discussion then tested provocative statements on policy, design and assessment methods. The workshop's closing message: a circular building with a non-circular installation isn't a circular building.
Interested in contributing? Join REHVA's C-HVAC taskforce by contacting Pablo Carnero Melero at pcm(at)rehva.eu.